WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF TRANSPLANTATION OVER DIALYSIS?
1. There is no dependence on the machine thrice a week for the rest of one’s life. 2. There are hardly any restrictions in the diet and fluid intake after a successful transplant. 3. The physical sense of well-being is so much better that one can go back to work in a style similar to that before the illness. 4. Usually the anaemia (and feeling of tiredness) seen in patients with renal failure is reversed after a successful transplant, since the kidney is functioning to maintain normal red cell production. For patients on dialysis, correction of anaemia requires life-long use of erythropoietin injections which are extremely expensive. 5. A woman may be able to conceive a child after having a successful transplant. (Women on dialysis usually do not ovulate and therefore are unable to become pregnant.) 6. Men who may be having sexual problems such as inability to maintain an erection may find this problem eliminated once they receive a successful transplant.
